Are you looking to invest in a good sauce cookbook? Do you want a copy of some of the best sauce recipes that can spice up any dish? Well, you’ve come to the right place!
Today, I am going to be sharing with you the best cookbooks from the most respected and reputable cooks that are currently available on the market.
And these are not just simple books. You’ll discover hundreds of bespoke recipes, carefully picked ingredient lists, step-by-step instructions, and even photographs of what to expect along the way.
What to follow will be all of the standout books, and the pros and cons of each.
But if you are short of time and just want to discover the top picks, here they are:



Sauces: Classical and Contemporary Sauce Making
- Hardcover Book
- Peterson, James (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 688 Pages - 11/07/2017 (Publication Date) - Harvest (Publisher)
If you are looking for just the one cookbook for sauces, that you intend to own and refer to for years to come; this is the one for you.
This particular book has hundreds of reviews; with an 81% 5* rating at the time of writing.
It’s incredibly detailed, current, and informative.
Pros
👍Incredibly detailed and dense; seen as more of a textbook than a cookbook.
👍Full-color photos that clearly show how to make the sauces at every step. Easy to follow despite its depth.
👍Award winning reference cookbooks used by professionals and home cooks.
👍 Nearly 500 recipes and detailed explanations of every kind of sauce.
👍Combines modern cooking methods with classic and traditional sauce-making techniques.
Cons
👎Slightly pricier than other cookbooks on the list.
The Complete Book of Sauces
- The Complete Book of Sauces By Williams Sallie Y
- Williams, Sallie Y (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 272 Pages - 06/12/1995 (Publication Date) - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (Publisher)
Just like the name suggests, the Complete Book of Sauces covers them all.
From white sauces, wine sauces, marinades, and barbecue sauces, salad dressings all the way through to sweet sauces for desserts and fruit sauces.
Pros
👍 Over 300 recipes that are quick and simple with easy-to-source ingredients.
👍 Includes a combination of both classic and modern sauce recipes.
👍Step-by-step instructions, storage advice, special sauce tips, and a cross-indexing section.
Cons
👎Most recipes call for alcohol so if you do not drink, many may not be suitable.
👎Terminology can be a little confusing and may require a little additional research.
The Art of the Perfect Sauce: 75 Recipes to Take Your Dishes from Ordinary to Extraordinary
- Bauer, Lorilynn (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 192 Pages - 01/02/2018 (Publication Date) - Page Street Publishing (Publisher)
Pros
👍Written by true experts and respected cooks in their field with decades of culinary experience.
👍 The book, and recipes, are very well laid out. Easy to follow and it features a table of all the sauces and how each sauce might be used to complement fish, meat, vegetables, pasta, or desserts.
👍Sauces are not considered too challenging or complicated but pack a lot of flavors. “Elegant and practical” was one such review.
Cons
👎Only 75 sauce recipes in total; less than the other books on the list.
What Makes A Good Sauce Cookbook?
Why have I recommended these particular books? What makes them better than the hundreds, if not thousands, of others?
Well, the following factors have been taken in mind which help these to stand out from the rest.
Experience Of Cook/Author
The key to a good cookbook is the combination of culinary experience and publishing. The two need to meet in the middle.
For instance, not all great cooks can document their processes, or make their recipes easy to follow.
You want a cookbook where you can leverage true expertise in sauce making from years of experience in the kitchen.
Recipe Diversity
Some cookbooks are very limited in terms of what they offer; whether that is recipe count or recipe diversity.
For instance, some just focus on sauces for fish, others for dessert.
You want a cookbook that is going to provide you with a true variety so that no matter what you cook, or your tastes and preferences are, you can find a sauce for it.
Ease Of Use
The best cookbooks will provide you with unique and inspiring recipes that are not overly challenging to make.
Whether this is the cooking items’ needs, the ingredients you need to source or the sheer quantity of them.
At the same time, recipes should be easy to follow, clear, not overly complicated while having sufficient instruction.
Final Verdict
If you are looking for a cookbook for sauces, I personally would not look any further than Sauces: Classical and Contemporary Sauce Making.
You’ll soon see when you check out the reviews. It’s just going to be such a good investment and a resource that you can reference for many years to come.
Don’t just take my word for it. Head over to Amazon and check the reviews to see for yourself 👇
Are you looking for other products to make or store sauces? Check out my other buyer’s guides below:

Hello, I’m Jeremy, a sauce enthusiast and taste trailblazer! My endless pursuit of new flavors has led me on a journey to master sauce making at home, along with try out a range of exciting brands and sauce offerings. Now I share my recipes, tips and recommendations on WeWantTheSauce to help fellow foodies find the perfect sauces.